Introduction to the Bodhicharyavatara and the Study Group

In this video, Ringu Tulku Rinpoche introduces the Online Study Group and the object of the study, Shantideva’s Bodhicharyavatara—a core textbook in a traditional Shedra and one of the most important texts to study on the Buddhist path.

According to the great Tibetan Master Patrul Rinpoche, says Rinpoche on the video,

“If you really understand this book, then you understand more or less everything about Buddhism. This book contains not only the understanding, but also the heart, the practice, the meditation, the action – therefore you don’t need anything else to study but this book, Bodhicharyavatara.”

The Online Study Group

The Online Study Group will start in October here on the Bodhicharya website.

During the course of the study, Ringu Tulku Rinpoche will give key explanations and answer students’ questions on a regular basis. A new teaching will be published online approximately once in every two weeks. We will also share and study the complete commentary that Rinpoche has given on the text through his teaching on Bodhicharyavatara over many years. In those teachings Rinpoche expanded on and drew from the root text of Bodhicharyavatara along with the important 19th century commentary by Khenpo Kunpal.

Khenpo Kunpal was one of the closest students of Patrul Rinpoche and it is said that he received the teaching on Bodhicharyavatara from him more than forty times. Thus his understanding of the text was profound and so it is extremely beneficial to make a heart connection with his understanding.

Text Resources

The English translation of the Bodhicharyavatara that will be used is The Way of the Bodhisattva, translated by Padmakara translation group and published by Shambhala Publications.

The Nectar of Manjushri’s Speech by Kunzang Pelden is a Padmakara translation into English of Khenpo Kunpal’s original text and it is published by Shambala Publications in 2007. This is recommended by Rinpoche as a very useful reference book for the study group.

You can also consult other translations if you wish.

The study commitment

The requested commitment is simply to listen, read and study all the lessons without skipping any. The lessons include Rinpoche’s teachings and the related text that are posted online. All shedra students will be able to access the study materials at any time on the website, so they can connect and avail of the most current material or catch up on past ones if required. The study group will progress in such a way that everyone can follow at a level they feel most comfortable with. So we warmly invite all who wish to study online under the guidance of Ringu Tulku Rinpoche to avail of this wonderful opportunity.